The following is a message that Howard Dean sent to Democracy for America supporters yesterday:
Montana, one of the reddest states, has a new Democratic governor.
First-time candidates for state legislatures from Hawaii to Connecticut beat incumbent Republicans.
And a record number of us voted to change course—more Americans voted against George Bush than any sitting president in history.
Today is not an ending.
Regardless of the outcome yesterday, we have begun to revive our democracy. While we did not get the result we wanted in the presidential race, we laid the groundwork for a new generation of Democratic leaders.
Democracy for America trained thousands of organizers and brought new leadership into the political process. And down the ballot, in state after state, we elected Dean Dozen candidates who will be the rising stars of the Democratic Party in years ahead.
Tens of millions of us are disappointed today because we put so much of ourselves into this election. We donated money, we talked to friends, we knocked on doors. We invested ourselves in the political process.
That process does not end today. These are not short-term investments. We will only create lasting change if that sense of obligation and responsibility becomes a permanent part of our lives.
Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
We will not be silent.
Thank you for everything you did for our cause in this election. But we are not stopping here.
Governor Howard Dean, M.D.
